Inside AJC

A portrait of the current Georgia Supreme Court justices hangs outside the courtroom Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016, in Atlanta. The Georgia House has approved Gov. Nathan Deal's proposal to add two justices to the state's Supreme Court. Georgia's Constitution permits up to nine justices; state law currently provides for seven justices. The measure now will be reviewed by the state Senate. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Photo: David Goldman

While House Bill 927 also makes other changes, including how the state Supreme Court and the state Court of Appeals divvy up cases, it’s the top court’s expansion that feature in the bill.

The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Christian Coomer, R-Cartersville, presented the expansion as a necessity for a growing state, saying it would help the court spend more time on important cases. Under HB 927, the Supreme Court would expand from seven to nine justices as recommended by the Appellate Jurisdiction Review Commission, which considered the idea last year.

Deal has already made one appointment to the Supreme Court when he picked Justice Keith Blackwell for the court in June 2012. And, aside from the potential for two new appointments under the bill, a court spokeswoman has said two of the court’s six other current judges — Chief Justice Hugh Thompson and Presiding Justice Harris Hines — plan to retire before Deal’s tenure is up in 2018.